My latest piece for Dmergent.

The church universal is standing at a crossroad; right now the church sits at the corner of the 21st century and the gospel.  Communities of faith have struggled with how to proclaim and live out the gospel of Jesus the Christ in a true, authentic and meaningful way.  In our ever changing, connected and fast-paced world the church has some stiff competition for people’s time, attention, and even money.  Ministers around the country gather with financial officers and committee members to pour over the annual stewardship pledge cards trying to craft a budget that speaks to the communities’ faith as well as trying to be reasonable and practical.

The ministries and activities that the church present are a reflection of the priorities and commitments of that particular faith community.  How does the church proclaim the story of God’s love moving through humanity?  What is the point of all this if we have nothing to show for it?

When trying to formulate an answer comes a temptation, one that is easy to fall for.  This temptation is not one of grand proportions where the choice is between a piece of carrot cake or a rice cake that we can see comedically presented in advertisements.

This temptation is lurking in the background of many churches and in the minds of congregations.  It is easy to make it the central focus of how Christians articulate their faith, the reasonings behind ministries and the ultimate goal, purpose and role of the church in a particular community.

Read the complete article here